Tapestry
by JanetBanana
Summary: Story of Edwin and Lizzie's friendship. Beginnings of EdwinLizzie. I do not own Life With Derek. I also do not own any of the songs, they all belong to Carole King. Plz Review, I'd like to know what people think of the EdwinLizzie pairing, may be a sequel
1. Chapter 1

I haven't told Lizzie that she pretty much saved my life when she moved in. I think it's because I'm in the middle, but I often got so lost in the shuffle, that aside from school and meals, I wouldn't leave my room for weeks. Without even being grounded! Derek and Marti both demand so much attention that I kind of faded into the background. In her own way, I suppose Casey helped too. When they moved in and Casey and Derek squared off for a fight, somehow it always became "Venturi's Vs MacDonald's." And I suddenly became included in my own family. But really, it's Lizzie who saved my life. It started out as us against Casey and Derek, not wanting them to push us around in their struggles to win. It grew to become the greatest friendship I had ever had. It possibly rivaled whatever it was Derek and Marti had. In fact, I felt it was superior; Lizzie and I didn't have 10 years age between us. We had less than one. We got along. We were in the same class at school. We had inside jokes, private moments, shared feelings that both of our older siblings were absolutely nuts. Memories of being the forgotten middle children left at school were secretly thrilling to us; it gave us even more bonding time. I don't know how the bond between us got so tight. Maybe because, even though we would never admit it to them, (we had our health to worry about!) we felt more intelligent than Derek and Casey. They fought _constantly_. They acted about as mature as Marti towards each other. Sometimes I felt like Lizzie and I were the older ones. We had real conversations. If we disagreed we had honest discussions and we were fine with agreeing to disagree. In a home where I had been so lonely, and then all this chaos moved in, Lizzie came with it. The calm before the storm. The one who always helped pick up the pieces. Dare I say it, my other half? And I had never really let her know how important she was to me. But I had had it. Her twelfth birthday was coming up, and I was going to give her a present. A thank you for, well, for completing me. I couldn't put it that way, of course, it sounded so, so old. Preteens didn't have 'other halves', we didn't 'complete' each other. We stood awkwardly on the opposite sides of the gym at school dances for at least 2/3rds of it. We acted like the opposite sex had cooties. And yet I was absolutely positive that even if I couldn't say it, that's what it was. Was this a middle child thing? Acting so mature? I'm sure outsiders wouldn't see us that way, or me at least. I put on a great façade to the outside world, and our family as well. Burping the alphabet, setting traps for my siblings in the one small shared bathroom so I could get more time in it. When you were in the middle, you learned you had to do things like that, though. It was a means of survival. What shocked me, though, was how Lizzie seemed to go through it all beside me, instead of against me, like any other sibling. So next week, on March 15th, her birthday, I was going to let her know that without her, I'd be lost. I just hoped she wouldn't hate me forever after that.

Edwin surprised me. Our friendship sprang up so fast. I remember going up to the attic, those first few weeks. I would pretend that Derek and Casey were getting to me, but really I was growing rather fond of my new stepbrother. Unlike the two eldest in the Venturi-Macdonald clan, Edwin and I never had to win. Sure, we wanted to get what we wanted. Who doesn't? But it wasn't a win-at-all-costs kind of thing. It didn't cause us to have massive blowups. We got along, and when we wanted different things we came to a compromise, always willing to help each of us win a little. That's how it happened. Edwin was a comrade first, a partner in crime second, and a best friend finally. But lately I was a little worried. I had gone from seeing Edwin as a best friend (which I still totally saw him as, in addition) to something more, maybe a crush? I'd only really had a couple of crushes before, though, and this felt different. I didn't see him as "the totally cutest boy I've ever seen" because regardless of how step we were, we had definitely had a little sibling bonding that Derek and Casey lacked. Mostly because we had to protect ourselves from them. That and protect ourselves from being lost in the shuffle. We were one of those great teams, neither person a sidekick because we each contributed something different to the team. Something equally important. With Edwin, it was like all our bonding was leading to something higher. Something over our heads which we at our present stage couldn't grasp. The only problem I saw in it, was that we weren't headstrong like our siblings, we were too afraid of losing each other to do something about it. But the more and more Derek and Casey fought, and the more and more our parents would forget my soccer match, or Edwin's hockey tournament, and the more and more we stuck together because of it, the more I wanted him to kiss me. I just feared that if he ever did, it would wreck everything.


	2. Chapter 2

It was the day before Lizzie's birthday, and we sat in English class together, me half listening, her taking very careful notes about Julius Caesar. I was glad our teacher had chosen that play. I had almost been forced to read Romeo and Juliet. Gross! I mean its one thing to experience that sort of thing, but to read about it? Yechh, how bored could you be? Our teacher was reading that famous line "Beware the Ides of March" and I asked her what the Ides were. She said it was a term for the middle of the month. The Ides of March were March 15th. Lizzie made careful attention to put in her notes that her birthday was in part of a Shakespearean quote. It must be a girl thing. I was trying not to think about tomorrow. I had no idea what was going to happen. Well, I knew, I mean, I planned it! But the end result? It could go well or horribly.

It was the night of my birthday party. Our family (as in Mom, Casey, and me) had had a tradition for my birthday that I would get dressed up like it was my prom or something, and we'd listen to music, go out for my favorite meal, come back home, eat birthday cake and open presents. Now we were incorporating my new family into our tradition. We'd gotten through dinner okay, and were back home. Mom brought out a gorgeous cake baked and decorated by Casey (another of her million talents) and lit twelve candles. As I prepared to blow them out Mom said "Make a wish Lizzie!" And that thought I'd kept having about wanting Edwin to kiss me briefly ran through my head, but I pushed it away and wished that Casey and Derek could stop fighting for a whole week instead. We ate the cake and now it was time for presents. Mom and George got me some new rollerblades, which I had totally needed, since outgrowing my old ones. Derek gave me permission to kick him out of the bathroom if I wanted in there twelve times, one for each year of my life. This was actually quite an impressive gift from him. Marti had drawn me some sort of picture with me in a princess dress and a cat (which I assumed was her) which I put on my bulletin board. Casey gave me a new diary. Now it was Edwin's turn. He handed me a small box. I opened it and found a note. "Meet me upstairs in the attic after the party. My present for you is there." Mystery notes from the boy I knew so well? In giving me my present in secret, I felt he was only making our friendship stronger. We ended my party by playing my special birthday song, just like every year. And of course, it was even better this year. Edwin got into the music just as much as I did. He loved 70's folk music as much as I did, probably more, while everyone else thought we were nuts for liking such old music. And just like me, the Tapestry album, by Carole King, has always been his favorite.

_My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hues_

_An everlasting vision of the ever changing view_

_A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold_

_A Tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold_

The song is reflective, even a little sad, but it, to me, anyway, is the perfect birthday song.

After it ended, I was given permission not to help clean up, since it was my birthday. I stopped in my room and looked in the mirror as if something were about to change and I wanted to see my old self before a new one was born. I tried to tell myself it was just a birthday thing, but truthfully, I had never done that before. Somehow I knew whatever it was Edwin had for me in the attic, was going to change the dynamic of our relationship. I don't know how I knew it, except maybe from the look he gave me when I looked up from his note. Well here goes nothing. And I started up the stairs to the attic.

I heard steps at the bottom of the stairs leading to my room. This was it, everything was riding on this. I had started with my room. Living in the attic definitely had its upsides. I was up here with the Christmas decorations, and I had strung the twinkly tree lights all around my room. Then I had somehow managed to get Casey to let me borrow her disco ball without too many questions, and I'd hung that from the ceiling. Once she made sure it wasn't for Derek she'd given it up without much of a fight. So long as she's keeping him unhappy, she doesn't really care what I do. I'd also actually made my bed for once, and gotten all my clutter put away or threw out. I plugged in the lights, but turned them off; making sure the room was totally dark. Lizzie knocked and I answered. She seemed a bit taken aback by the darkness, but then I flipped the switch and the room flooded in soft colored lights. You could tell that had earned me a gold star. She just sighed and said "Oh Ed!" like I'd done something really spectacular, and who knows, maybe I had. Then I pressed play on my stereo and our favorite song from the Tapestry album filled the room. Not the one from the party, a different one. She just grinned. What I did next I'm pretty sure shocked her. "Would you care to dance, Liz?" I said it all cheesy like they do in all those foreign movies. She just stood there for a moment, not moving, and I heard a quick gasp of breath before she wordlessly moved into my arms and we began to dance like we were the only people on earth.

_When you're down, and troubled, _

_And you need some love and care_

_And nothing, nothing is going right_

_Close your eyes and think of me_

_And soon I will be there_

_To brighten up even your darkest night_

_You just call out my name_

_And you know wherever I am _

_I'll come running to see you again_

_Winter, spring, summer, or fall_

_All you have to do is call_

_And I'll be there, you've got a friend_

_If the sky above you _

_Grows dark and full of clouds_

_And that old north wind begins to blow_

_Keep your head together _

_And call my name out loud_

_Soon, you'll hear me knocking at your door_

_You just call out my name_

_And you know wherever I am _

_I'll come running to see you again_

_Winter, spring, summer, or fall_

_All you have to do is call_

_And I'll be there, yes I will_

_Now ain't it good to know that you've got a friend_

_When people can be so cold?_

_They'll hurt you, yes and desert you_

_And take your soul if you let them_

_Oh, but don't you let them_

_You just call out my name_

_And you know wherever I am _

_I'll come running, running yeah, yeah _

_To see you again_

_Winter, spring, summer, or fall_

_All you have to do is call_

_And I'll be there, yes I will_

_You've got a friend_

_You've got a friend_

_Ain't it good to know?  
You've got a friend_

_Ain't it good to know?  
_

_Ain't it good to know?  
Ain't it good to know?  
You've got a friend_

_Oh, yeah now_

_You've got a friend_

_Yeah, baby, you've got a friend_

_Oh, yeah_

_You've got a friend_

When Lizzie first moved in, she was very bummed about the move, and she kept playing this CD over and over. The first time I came down from my new attic retreat (at the time I had been thinking that living in the attic would just isolate me more, boy was I wrong) and heard the music I loved so well I'd just known Lizzie and I would become friends. I'd knocked on her door and asked her to come to my new room and I showed her my copy, told her I'd worn out five other copies, which she giggled at, and I think that was our very first friendly moment. Even though we loved other folk music, in the ten months since she's been here, we've worn out three more copies of this, our favorite album, listening together. Once the song was over we let the disc play through and lay on our stomachs, our feet moving in the air, propped up on our elbows, on my bed. It was our thing, chatting for hours about anything and everything, up here in my attic room, where nothing could get to us. Marti was afraid of the attic, and everyone else was old enough to know to respect our privacy, so the only time anyone came up here was to let us know dinner was ready. Everyone in the house, it seemed, had gotten very used to this. So when Nora knocked on the door just now I almost jumped out of my skin. I opened the door, and she seemed pleased that I had thought of something so special for my best friend. "Lizzie, you have school tomorrow, you kids need to get to bed." After Lizzie dutifully replied and I could tell Nora had left I caught Lizzie as she was going out the door. I wasn't sure if I should do this, but I would probably never rest if I didn't, and I pulled her into a clumsy hug. Tears were coming down both our faces, for some reason, and I said she'd saved my life when she'd moved in, that I wouldn't have a best friend if it weren't for her. And then I kissed her. It was my first kiss, not horrible, not perfect, somewhere in between, but just what a first kiss should be. It wasn't very long or anything, but she seemed to respond to it. And as quickly as it was over she bolted down the stairs as if she were afraid to stay a single second longer.

Last night was magical. I mean my birthday party had been nice and all, but it was Edwin's surprise for me that had made me feel as if I were living a fairy tale. I'd always said he always knew how to make me happy, but that was just general best friendly duties. Last night was amazing. And then the kiss…just what I'd secretly been hoping for and so much more magical than I'd thought it would be. So why was I so sad? Because since breakfast, he hasn't said a word to me, and he's seen me in four classes? Because he keeps looking at me like he made huge mistake? Or because I don't feel comfortable around him since he seems so uncomfortable around me? I knew it. I knew that us kissing could wreck everything. But I wished so hard. And for the first time in my life I caught a glimpse of what it was like to be Casey and Derek's age. A bit of understanding. And I understood it was the worst thing in the world.


	3. Chapter 3

I am so depressed. Everything was perfect. Maybe I should have listened to the wise man in Shakespeare's play "Beware the Ides of March." What had they done for me? They'd brought me heartache like I couldn't imagine. I had created a magical thing for her and she had clearly enjoyed it and I had to ruin it all. I kissed her and she bolted. What had I done? Somehow I thought she'd wanted me to kiss her. But if she did why had she run away from me like that? All I know is that the two months since Lizzie's birthday have been the boring depressing days from before my Dad got married. We hadn't really spoken, except for the occasional courtesy required of us, since that kiss. If I'd known that it was the last night we'd ever really talk, I would have kept her there all night, not letting her go to her room, telling her everything in the world. I would have made her laugh more, think more. Just had our special Edwin-Lizzie connection, _more_. I'd left the special decorations up. In fact, aside from Casey's missing disco ball, everything in my room was pretty much exactly as it had been that night. As long as I could recreate that evening I could close my eyes and pretend the last two months had never happened. Everyone in the family noticed. Derek and Casey were arguing less, as if to make up for the fact that the two of us had fallen out. Everyone was trying to be civil and pretend everything was fine, but we all knew it wasn't. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to find out why she'd stopped speaking to me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the perfect way to reconcile our differences, so long as she accepted, so I sat at my desk and began writing. Soon I was finished and left my missive by her door, knocked twice, and went back up to my room.

The sound of someone knocking at my door startled me out of my long cry. I had lost my best friend, and I didn't know why. I opened the door expecting someone, but no one was there. Then, just as I was about to shut it I saw Edwin's stereo and a note on top. "Lizzie, I don't know what happened between us, but please listen to track two." We'd analyzed the songs from Tapestry before, maybe he was trying to fix whatever had broken between us. I sat on my bed and pressed the advance button once, then play. I had been correct on the album choice. Track Two. _So Far Away_. Would this work? Could we make things right between us again? The slow sad ballad flooded the room.

_So far away_

_Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?_

_It would be so fine to see your face at my door_

_It doesn't help to know_

_You're just time away_

_Long ago I reached for you_

_And there you stood_

_Holding you again could only do me good_

_How I wish I could but you're so far away_

_One more song about movin' along the highway_

_Can't say much of anything that's new_

_If I could only work this life out my way_

_I'd rather spend it being close to you_

_But you're so far away_

_Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?_

_It would be so fine to see your face at my door_

_It doesn't help to know_

_You're so far away_

_You're so far away_

_Travelin' round sure gets me down and lonely_

_Nothing else to do but close my mind_

_I sure don't hope the road don't come to own me_

_There's so many dreams I've yet to find_

_But you're so far away_

_Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?_

_It would be so fine to see your face at my door_

_It doesn't help to know_

_You're so far away_

_You're so far away_

_You're so far away_

I listened to the words whose real meanings were obvious. I knew which part of the song he'd wanted me to pay the most attention to almost instinctively. Most of the first verse could be broken down by line.

_It would be so fine to see your face at my door_

He wanted to see me again. He didn't want things to keep falling farther apart with us.

_Long ago I reached for you_

_And there you stood_

I could almost hear him saying "Remember the last time we met? It was so happy. What happened between us?"

_Holding you again could only do me good_

_How I wish I could_

Oh how I only knew. I felt the exact same way.

_But you're so far away_

He felt as if he couldn't reach me. I was going to have to make the move this time. He'd asked the question, I'd have to reply. Immediately I knew what I had to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long to update, one more chapter coming after this one, possibly a sequel, so tell me what you think!

I heard the two knocks on my door and immediately I brightened. Maybe she was there? I opened my door, only to find my stereo and note. She'd returned it. Tears stung my eyes. She didn't care. As I let my note flutter to my desk, though, I noticed she'd replied. "Edwin, I don't know what happened to us either, but listen to track four, please?" I put my stereo back in its place and played track four. _Home Again._ My very soul filled with hope and I listened to the song.

_Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever gonna make it home again_

_It's so far and out of sight_

_I really need someone to talk to and nobody else_

_Knows how to comfort me tonight_

_Snow is cold, rain is wet_

_Chills my soul right to the marrow_

_I won't be happy 'til I see you alone again_

_Until I'm home again and feelin' right_

_Snow is cold, rain is wet_

_Chills my soul right to the marrow_

_I won't be happy 'til I see you alone again_

_Until I'm home again and feelin' right_

_Until I'm home again and feelin' right_

_I wanna be home again and feelin' right_

Unlike my song, filled with metaphors, hers was short and pretty self explanatory. It was the perfect complement. Back when it had been on records I wouldn't be surprised if this was its B-side. That was something I'd have to look into. Just like she was my perfect complement. I ran down my staircase at top speed, yelling Lizzie, Lizzie, at the top of my lungs waiting for an answer. After a two month fallout I couldn't let any more time pass. Derek, Casey, and Marti each came out of their rooms looking hopeful, as if the family might once again be whole when the two of us made up. Unfortunately our reconciliation would have to wait. I found a note addressed to me on Lizzie's door. "Edwin, sorry I wasn't here after you listened to my song. Do you think it might be a B-side to yours? Anyway I had to go to soccer practice. Do you think we can have dinner in your room by ourselves tonight? Mom seemed to think it'd be okay. Talk to you in a couple of hours, Lizzie." I grinned. I knew we'd be fine. We'd rubbed off on each other too much. It was obvious we were heartbroken apart. She even thought like me. I looked up at the expectant faces of my brother, sister, and stepsister and said, simply "It's going to be okay. We are going to be okay." Casey had to go and get all sappy on me. She hugged me and said some mushy stuff. Marti jumped around singing something; Derek shot me his famous smirk and said "Good for you, kid". It wasn't perfect yet though. I had yet to see her beautiful blue eyes look at me and tell me we were speaking. I knew it of course; I just needed to see her in person.


	5. Chapter 5

When Nora came back from dropping off Lizzie at soccer, I asked her if we could make Lizzie's favorite meal. We did. It felt good, doing something like this for Lizzie, after so much time apart. When it was ready, she began to set the table, and I carried our food up to my room. I knew we couldn't sit there crying in front of the whole family, and I knew she cried when she was happy, when she was sad, anytime she got really emotional. I suspected I myself might shed a tear or two as well. I remember so well, just before I kissed her, as we stood there crying, even though I've never understood why. So our first time speaking again had to be in private. But that didn't mean our first time seeing each other again had to be. I knew the family would want to see for themselves that we were okay, so as they ate dinner I waited at the bottom step of the main stairs for her ride to drop her off. Only a few minutes after the rest of the family had started eating, the front door opened and there she was.

I opened the door after soccer practice and came face-to-face with Edwin—and the rest of the family. Suddenly, though, I didn't care that I had an audience. Almost like a scene from a movie, we slowly regarded each other again as friends, as opposed to the hurtful stares we'd been sharing more than enough of for the last two months. Finally we walked toward each other and hugged like we'd never let go. Then, silently, we made our way up to Edwin's room, away from the stares of our family. I gasped when he opened to door. It looked exactly as it had on my birthday. I stared at him.

"I didn't have the heart to change it, Liz. When you ran out on me, I felt like my world would never be whole again. So I left it to remind myself of the last time it was."

And all this time I'd thought he hated me! "What do you mean? I didn't run out on you."

"Yes you did, the second our lips parted you ran down these stairs like I had done something to hurt you."

"You mean that's why you didn't talk to me? I was scared, Ed. I was afraid things would change." I chuckled now at my fears. "I was worried we'd turn into some 'teenage' thing, and when it ended we'd be over too. Unlike any other guy who might try to kiss me I have to actually live with you. I was worried what it'd be like if we didn't speak again with you right upstairs. I guess we got a pretty good taste of that anyway."

"So why didn't you tell me that, Liz? Why'd you run away from me? Don't you know we can tell each other anything? Or we used to."

"No, I didn't know that. Not then. But I do now. I'm sorry about the last two months. I'm sorry I didn't try to talk to you sooner. I'm sorry about not laying the cards on the table right then and there."

"No! Lizzie, I should be the one apologizing. I'm the one who hurt you. I'm the one who gave you all those mean looks."

"Only because I was giving mean looks to you, too!"

We started laughing "We were both fools, Liz."

I sat there contemplating whether to do what I wanted to do, and decided worrying had only gotten me the worst two months of my life, so to heck with worrying, just do it. This time couldn't be clumsy. This time had to count for something. This time would be beautiful. I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him close to me and I kissed him. Through a couple of tears and lots of smiles, sighs of content and a bit of chuckling, we kissed again. And this time I didn't run. This time I stayed, and talked, and got reacquainted with my best friend. Never again would I behave so foolishly. Because in those two months I learned a lesson. If you have a fight with your best friend, you can never lose each other. Not really. Even if you thought you had, they'd be lying in bed not sleeping at night wondering how they could possibly win you back and your thoughts would mirror theirs. When you have a friendship like that, even death couldn't separate you. It just took me running away to see that.

When Lizzie kissed me I knew we had come full circle. We'd taken the long road home, and driven some bumpy roads, but I knew never again would we be apart. With a best friend like her, I would always be happy. And when the rest of the family had finished dinner and crept up the stairs to find us still entwined in our embrace, never letting go, crying still, I knew they knew it too. A few minutes later, Casey snuck into the room, and the room filled with the soul searching music of Carole King.

_You just call out my name_

_And you know wherever I am _

_I'll come running to see you again_

_Winter, spring, summer, or fall_

_All you have to do is call_

_And I'll be there, you've got a friend_

We were home.

**A/N:** I hoped you guys liked it. There may be a sequel coming set a couple of years later.


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